Marco Polo Takes A Trip

Introduction

During the Middle Ages, most people in Europe spent their entire lives in the village where they were born. But in the 13th century, a young Italian named Marco Polo traveled all the way to China! He spent 17 years as a member of the court of Mongol emperor Kublai Khan. After he returned to Italy, he recorded his experiences in a book, sparking a surge in interest in the Far East among Europeans that led to a great age of exploration.

In this lesson, students will learn about the remarkable travels of Marco Polo. They will consult maps to locate Venice and follow the routes Marco took to Beijing and back. They will learn about the challenges of traveling along the Silk Road, discover some interesting facts about China under Mongol rule, and find out how Marco came to produce his famous book. Then they will work in groups to create a large mural/timeline of the life and adventures of this famous traveler.

Guiding Question:

Who was Marco Polo? Why did he travel to China? What was it like to travel along the Silk Road? What was China like in the 13th century? How did Marco Polo get back home? Why did he write a book, and why is this book important?

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:

• Identify Marco Polo and understand why he took his trip
• Indicate on a map the routes Marco took to China and back
• Describe the challenges of traveling along the Silk Road
• List several interesting aspects of 13th century Chinese culture
• Explain the circumstances in which Marco's book was written and understand the influence the book had upon the European public

Special Materials for Mural/Timeline

• A large piece of butcher paper, preferably about three feet wide and twelve to fourteen feet long
• Tacks or tape for affixing the butcher paper to the wall or a bulletin board
• Colored markers
• About a cup of sand (optional)
• Glue sticks (optional)

Preparing to Teach this Lesson

Read through the lesson plan and become familiar with materials and websites listed. Bookmark the sites you plan to use. Ideally, computer-generated images from the various websites in this lesson should be projected on a screen visible to all members of the class. Students can also work in small groups sharing a number of computers. Or you can download and reproduce all materials for use by students at their desks.

Background information about Marco Polo and the Silk Road can be found at the following sites:

Tape or tack the butcher paper for the mural/timeline to a long bulletin board (or a wall) at a level sufficiently low for all students to write and draw on it. Divide the paper into seven sections. Leaving the first section on the left blank, number the others from one to six, moving left to right.

If possible, obtain from your school library the following books by Fiona MacDonald: Marco Polo: A Journey through China and The World in the Time of Marco Polo. It would be very helpful to have on hand and visible to students a globe, a world map, and, ideally, a large map of Asia.

Warm-up—Taking a Family Trip

Activity 1—Home Base

Activity 2—Marco's Big Chance

Activity 3—From Venice to Kashgar

Activity 4—Crossing the Deserts

Activity 5—Adventures in China

Activity 6—Coming Home

Activity 7—Marco's Book

Activity 8—Making a Mural/Timeline

Activity 9—Show and Tell

Warm-up—Taking a Family Trip

Ask the students to think about a trip they have taken with their families—it can be something as ambitious as a visit to Disney World or as simple as a trip to the local zoo. Even a short trip can be an adventure, a chance to learn something new. Make a list of these trips on the board, leaving space to add a few descriptive phrases.

Ask how they prepared for the trip. What did they take along? (Special articles of clothing? Favorite books or games? Snacks?) Write these on the board next to the trip descriptions. Often things turn out differently than one might expect. Ask if anything unusual or unexpected happened on their trips. (Did anything surprise them? Did they learn anything new?) Note these down on the board. Finally, ask what was the first thing they told their friends about their trip. Write these on the board.

Tell the students that they will be learning about a young man named Marco Polo, who took a very long trip with his father and uncle, visiting places he had never even heard about.

Activity 1—Home Base

Begin this activity by saying that Marco Polo lived during the Middle Ages. Most people associate the Middle Ages with castles and knights. However, the majority of Europeans who lived at that time were simple farmers, who lived in small villages. But Marco Polo didn't live in a castle or on a farm. He lived in a city—Venice. Locate Venice on the map following these steps:

• Access a map of the world available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource National Geographic Xpeditions. With the cursor indicate the location of Europe.
• Access the map of Europe, also available through National Geographic Xpeditions. Click on PDF to enlarge the map. Indicate the location of Italy. You might wish to mention that Italy is always easy to find, since it looks like a high-heeled boot jutting into the Mediterranean Sea. Outline mainland Italy with the cursor. Point out that Africa and Asia also border the Mediterranean Sea.
• Access Europe available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource Labyrinth. Find Italy, then Venice.
• Call for volunteers to locate Venice on the globe or world map in your classroom.

• Access Electronic Passport to Marco Polo and scroll down to the painting of medieval Venice.
• View a photograph of modern Venice at Virtual History of Venice available through Labyrinth.

Marco's father was a merchant, who often traveled far from home to obtain luxury products that were not available in Venice. When Marco was just five, his father and his uncle left home on such a trip. They would be gone for 12 years. During this time, Marco lived alone with his mother. He went to school and discovered that he had a knack for languages. He also spent time around the docks, where he heard many tales about distant ports. Ask the students to imagine what it might have been like to grow up in a trading port like Venice. What sorts of dreams might Marco have had about his future?

If you have MacDonald's The World in the Time of Marco Polo available, read a few selected passages, sharing the illustrations as you proceed. Other passages can be shared in later activities.

Activity 2—Marco's Big Chance

When Marco's father and uncle finally returned home, they had many stories to tell. They had traveled all the way to eastern China!

• Access Silk Road Maps available through Asia Source and look at the first map. Find China. If you are working with older students, call for volunteers to name the modern countries that lie between Turkey and China.

Marco's mother had recently died, so when his father and uncle began planning a return trip to China, they invited Marco to go along. (He was now 17.) He was, of course, very excited about this opportunity. But he was also a little nervous about the stories his father and uncle told about their journey across vast, windy plains, through sizzling deserts, and over high snow-capped mountains.

Have the students put themselves in Marco Polo's shoes and think about setting off on a trip through rugged environments he knows little about—except that it can be very hot or very cold. What sorts of things should he pack for his trip? (Remind them that he will have to carry everything on his back!) What excites him most about taking a trip? Exploring the unknown? Spending time with "Dad" (and Uncle)? Getting away from Venice? What aspects of the upcoming journey worry him? If you are working with younger students, note down their ideas on the board. Older students can write a page in Marco's daily journal, reflecting what his thoughts might have been about his upcoming trip.

Activity 3—From Venice to Kashgar

The journey to China took over three years. Remind the students that during the Middle Ages there were no planes, trains, or cars, and that the roads were poor.

• Return to Silk Road Maps. Call upon volunteers to suggest the best route from Venice to China. Some students might suggest going due east from Venice. However, this would involve crossing many mountains.

• Access Marco Polo's Route, available through EDSITEment-reviewed resource Asia Source. Have the students locate Venice and Acre on the map.

• Have the students trace the route from Acre to the Persian Gulf on the map.

• Have the students indicate the route from the Persian Gulf to Kashgar on the map.
• To learn more about the rugged geographical features of this region, access Topography of Western Asia available through Asia Source. Find the port on the gulf and trace the Polo's route to Kashgar. You might explain to the students that the dark brown on the map indicates high mountains and the white refers to snow.
• View photographs of this region in links available through Asia Source:
  • Kyrgyz Women Spinning Cloth shows traditional clothing and textile crafts that would have existed in Marco Polo's time.
  • A View of Kongur I from the West is a view of the Kongur range, which Marco Polo would have passed on the way to Kashgar
  • In the Mountains of Central Asia.

To reach Kashgar the Polos had to cross the towering Pamir Mountains, whose peaks are so tall they are known as the “Roof of the World.” Call upon students to describe what they see. What skills would a traveler need to survive a trek through mountains like these?

You might wish to initiate a short discussion by asking the students how they would feel after taking a long hike, running a hard race, or spending a long day at a ski area. What would they want most to do? Take a nap? Drink some water? Sit by the fire? Imagine how the Polos must have rejoiced when they finally made it over the Pamirs and reached the bustling trading city of Kashgar, famous for its cool water, warm climate, and fresh melons!

Activity 4—Crossing the Deserts

From Kashgar, the Polos had to cross two deserts - the Taklamakan and the Gobi.

• The Taklamakan is Asia's driest desert, a seemingly endless wasteland of shifting sand dunes. (In the local Uighur language "Taklamakan" means "desert of no return.") The Polos followed a route that skirted the desert to the south, trekking from one isolated oasis to another.
• After making a short loop to the south, they proceeded through the Gobi desert, Asia's largest desert. (Its name is Mongolian for "place without water.")
• The surface of the Gobi is a thin layer of gravel, with a few rocks protruding here and there. Only tufts of rough grass can grow here. Living conditions are not much better here than in the Taklamakan.
• Return to Marco Polo's Route. Have the students trace the route from Kashgar to Beijing.
• To see the geographical features of this region access Topography of Eastern Asia.
• Photos of this region can be viewed at The Silk Road—Pictures. Scroll down to the first and second photos. Call upon students to read the descriptions of the scenes and to comment upon what they see. Other scenes indicating how little travel conditions in this region have changed since the days of Marco Polo can be viewed at Electronic Passport to the Silk Road available through Asia Source. Scenes of daily life among the local inhabitants can be viewed at CSEN and Silk Road Photo Gallery, both available through Asia Source.

Assessment:

Activity 5—Adventures in China

The Polos finally arrived in China and traveled on to Shangdu, the summer capital of the great emperor of China, Kublai Khan. (Shangdu was not far from modern Beijing.)

Introduce the students to Kublai Khan by viewing the Painting of Emperor Khublai Khan available through Asia Source. Kublai was so impressed with Marco's intelligence, poise, and his skill with languages that he made him an official of his court. He sent him on missions throughout China and outlying regions, instructing him to observe carefully and to come back to relate what he had seen. Below are some of Marco's observations, which he later described in his book. Share these with your students.

• Kublai's summer residence (Shangdu) was a huge marble palace. Its halls and chambers were all gilded with gold. It opened onto a large game park, filled with deer and exotic birds, and in the middle of this was another smaller palace. This smaller palace was made entirely of cane. It was framed with on gilded pillars, on each of which stood a carved dragon, entwining the pillar with his tail and supporting the roof on his outstretched limbs. (The dragon was one of the most important symbols in China. It was associated with good luck, the power of the emperor, and the rain that ensured a good crop for the farmers.) And the smaller palace was portable! It was held together by 200 strong cords of silk and could be taken down and removed to another place whenever the Khan wanted to do so.
• Kublai kept a herd of 10,000 snow-white horses in Shangdu. The milk of the mares was used to make a special beverage known as koumis, which Kublai and his family consumed during special ceremonies. The white horses were so revered that when they were grazing, no one could pass through - even the loftiest lord had to wait until they moved on.
• Kublai Khan had a mint that made paper money from the bark of mulberry trees. Sheets of paper were cut up in rectangles of various sizes, each size worth a certain amount. Europeans of this time either traded products or used metal coins as currency. They had never heard of paper money—in fact, they didn't even have paper! (They wrote on parchment made from animal skins.)
• The Chinese had stones that burned like logs—coal! Coal burns much longer than wood. Europeans burned wood in their fires and hadn't heard of coal. Marco noted that one of the main uses of coal was to heat public and private bath houses. He was amazed to learn that the Chinese took baths several times a week, sometimes every day. Europeans bathed much less frequently. In the winter they seldom bathed at all!
• Kublai Khan had a very efficient system for sending messages throughout his kingdom. Relay stations were set up three miles apart, and runners would carry messages from one station to the next. With this relay system, a message could be carried the distance of a normal ten-day journal in only one day. Even faster service was available with messengers who rode horses at a gallop between stations that were 25 miles apart. This was very much like the Pony Express of the Old West. If you have obtained a copy of Fiona MacDonald's book, Marco Polo: A Journey Through China, read selected passages aloud. Call upon students to comment upon the illustrations.

Conclude this activity by having the students identify a picture of Kublai Khan and describe some of the marvels of 13th century China during the emperor's reign. Which of these marvels or inventions and practices were later used in the modern Western world? If you are working with younger students, create a large Venn Diagram on the board and brainstorm with the class to determine which items from the ancient society of Kublai Khan's China are still used in Western society today.

Activity 6—Coming Home

After 17 years in China, Marco and his father and uncle were anxious to return to Italy. So when arrangements were being made to send a Mongol princess by the sea route to Persia, where she would marry a prince, they offered to accompany her. Kublai reluctantly gave his permission.

• View the map of the return journey by accessing Marco Polo's Voyage Home available through National Geographic Xpeditions. Scroll to the map on the left margin, click to enlarge it, then click on download printable map for a larger one. Follow their route through the South China Sea, to Sumatra, then the Indian Ocean, then finally docked at Hormuz on the Persian Gulf.

The sea journey took 2 years, during which 600 passengers and crew died. Marco doesn't tell us much about the circumstances, so we can only imagine what they must have been. (Were there storms at sea? Did the travelers become ill? Was there fighting with local natives? We'll never know for sure.) When the Polos finally arrived in Persia, they learned that the prince had died, so the princess married his son. They also learned of the death of Kublai Khan, who had lived to be 80. They traveled across Persia to the Black Sea, then by boat to Constantinople, then Venice.

• Trace the route from the Persian Gulf to Venice. Remind the students that Marco Polo traveled to China along the Silk Road (Marco Polo's Route). Compare that journey to the return voyage. Ask which route seems more difficult - and why.

Have the students fill out the chart available in pdf format. As in earlier activities, younger students should work as a group, brainstorming under your guidance to answer the questions in the chart.

Activity 7—Marco's Book

Three years after Marco had returned home, he was involved in a war between his city, Venice, and its trading rival, Genoa. He was captured and taken prisoner. While he was locked up, he became friendly with a fellow prisoner, Rusticello (pronounced Rustichello) of Pisa, who was a writer of romance novels. Marco told the writer all about his adventures in Central Asia, China, India, and the other places he visited. Rusticello wrote down his words, and this led to the creation of Marco's book.

The book became a bestseller! However, most Europeans considered it science fiction, not fact. They couldn't believe that the places described could actually exist. They even called Marco Il Milione—because they believed he told a million lies! And yet, as Marco lay dying (he lived to be an old man, see Marco Polo), he insisted that he had only told part of what he had seen.

Incredible though his tales seemed, they did inspire a number of people to travel East to find out about this exotic land for themselves. So in this way, Marco Polo launched a whole new age of exploration.

Review the major phases of Marco's travels - his trip from Venice to Acre and the Persian Gulf, his trek along the Silk Road, his adventures in China, and his voyage home. Remind the students that the Polos were the first Europeans to go all the way to Beijing, China. To most of their friends and neighbors, that must have seemed like the end of the world. Instruct older students to make a list of those aspects of Marco's travels that might have struck the Europeans as the most far-fetched. Younger students might draw pictures of what they consider the most unusual parts of Marco's story. Afterwards, have the students share their opinions. Would they have believed Marco's stories if they had lived in Europe during his times?

Activity 8—Making a Mural/Timeline

Tell the students that they will be working together to create a colorful mural/timeline of the life of Marco Polo. Divide the class into six groups. Assign to each group one of the following topics, which relate to the stages of Marco Polo's life and travels in Activities 1 through 6:

1. Growing up in Venice
2. Traveling from Venice to Kashgar
3. Crossing two deserts
4. Adventures in China
5. The journey home
6. Marco's book

The students should meet together in their groups to review the period in Marco's life and/or travels they have been asked to illustrate. Have them refer to the charts they filled out in the previous activities, as well as any pictures they might have drawn. You might wish to distribute copies of maps or photographs you have downloaded from websites visited during this project. Each group should decide how to illustrate their part of the mural, including physical features of the environment, local inhabitants, and, of course, a picture of Marco Polo "in action."

After the review session, instruct groups of students to begin work on their section of the mural (which you numbered in preparing the lesson). After writing a descriptive title at the top of the section (such as "Growing up in Venice"), each group will begin illustrating, using markers and other materials available. If you are working with younger students, you should write the topics on the butcher paper and let the students concentrate on their drawings.

It is not necessary to add dates, but make certain that the students understand that the passage of time proceeds from left to right, like the words in a book. When the illustrations are completed, choose a student (one with very good handwriting) to write the title ("The Life of Marco Polo" or something similar) at the beginning of the mural.

Activity 9—Show and Tell

Assemble the class in front of the mural/timeline. Have each group "present" their section to the rest of the class.

Invite other classes or parents to come to your room for a student led "virtual tour" (using the mural/timeline) of the life of Marco Polo. Perhaps one student (or several, taking turns) can play the role of Marco and tell his story, referring to the mural as he proceeds. Other members of the class might point out the routes he took to China and back on the large world map. After the presentation, encourage members of the audience to ask specific questions of the students, so that they can each demonstrate how much they've learned about the life and travels of Marco Polo.

Ask students to:

• Identify Marco Polo and explain why he took his trip
• Trace the journey of Marco Polo from Venice to China on a map
• Describe the challenges of traveling along the Silk Road, including the different kinds of terrain the Polos had to cross
• List several interesting aspects of 13th century Chinese culture
• Explain the circumstances in which Marco's book was written and point out the effect the book had upon the European public

Selected EDSITEment Websites

Asia Source

• China: Dim Sum: Silk Road Information
  [http://home.comcast.net/~mruland/resources/silkroad.htm]
• CSEN
  [http://www.csen.org/china_1998/China4.html]
• Electronic Passport to Marco Polo
  [http://www.mrdowling.com/613-marcopolo.html]
• Electronic Passport to the Silk Road
  [http://www.mrdowling.com/613-silkroad.html]
• In the Mountains of Central Asia
  [http://faculty.washington.edu/dwaugh/CA/mtntrav.htm]
• Marco Polo's Route
  [http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/maps/marcopolo.html]
• Painting of Emperor Khubilai Khan
  [http://www.chinapage.com/painting/kublai.html]
• Silk Road Photo Gallery
  [http://www.alumni.caltech.edu/~pamlogan/silkroad/gallery.html]
• Silk Road Maps
  [http://www.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/history/silk-road-map.cfm]
• The Silk Road—Pictures
  [http://www.ess.uci.edu/~oliver/silk2.html]
• Topography of Western Asia
  [http://depts.washington.edu/silkroad/maps/physical/wtopo.html]

Ask Asia [http://www.askasia.org/ ]

• Silk Road Encounters
  [http://www.askasia.org/teachers/Instructional_Resources/FEATURES/
  SilkRoad/index.htm]

Internet Public Library

• Polo, Marco
  [http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0839558.html]

Labyrinth

• Europe
  [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/europe/europe_ref01.jpg]
• Marco Polo: His Travels and their Effects on the World
  [http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Maze/5099/sld001.html]
• Virtual History of Venice
  [http://www.boglewood.com/timeline/]

National Geographic Xpeditions

• Map of Europe
  [http://aol.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=
  europe&Mode=b&SubMode=w]
• Map of the world
  [http://aol.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/atlas/index.html?Parent=
  world&Mode=b&Submode]
• Marco Polo's Voyage Home
  [http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/data/2001/07/01/html/
  ft_20010701.2.html]